Vertical Mushroom Garden

For the opening of the Fall '09 season  Troy-based artist Sara Worden brought her Vertical Mushroom Gallery to The Sanctuary for Independent Media.   

Folks came to watch these mushrooms grow, and learn more about permaculture in urban environments!  Check out photos from the opening on Sept. 26, 2009, when permaculture and art friends stopped by to share Kombucha (homemade fermented iced-tea) and conversation in the Wish Garden in front of the Sanctuary.

Installed by Sara Worden and Jack Magai.

For an "Exploration in Urban/Suburban Sustainability," check out a network of Permaculture designers and practitioners based in New York's Capital District-Albany, Schenectady, Troy and surrounding town, at: Capital District Permaculture Guild

More about Sara Worden: 

As an artist certified in Permaculture design & horticulture, I create interdisciplinary performances, sculptures, and installations to explore the relationship of the anthropocentric landscape with the natural world. Mythological ecosystems tap into reserves of primordial lore, natural history, bio/urban geography, and the restoration of life within a disintegrating industrial landscape. My primary interests revolve around permaculture, urban ecology, somatics, and an artistic aesthetic that engages the environment around me. I use salvaged materials and live plants to construct elaborate creature costumes and interactive habitats that raise awareness of local flora/fauna and sustainable systems. 

An integral part of Sara Worden’s work is her relationships and collaborations with other community artists & environmental activists. Sara’s work has been presented at AUNTS (Brooklyn), Fulton Street Gallery (Troy), Upstate Artists Guild (Albany), Grand Street Community Arts (Albany), and the Sanctuary for Independent Media (Troy). In addition to developing her own work, Sara has performed with Jennifer Monson, Bread & Puppet, Hudson Valley Dance Lab (HUDL) and collaborated with C. Ryder Cooley.